Rules and criteria for the SBW Scholarship for Refugees

I. Objective of the Scholarship for Refugees

The SBW Berlin Scholarship for Refugees supports young refugees from who come from
financially disadvantaged family backgrounds and use the during their studies acquired skills to
contribute and develop long-term non-profit projects.

Scholarship recipients of the SBW Berlin Scholarship for Refugees must be socially committed
during their studies or professional training. Their social projects should center on topics of
migration and inclusivity and create spaces, in which people with and without a migration
(his)stories come together, to learn from and with each other. This should happen by working
closely with a regional organisation.

We award our scholarships for bachelor’s and master's programs at a university or a special
university of applied sciences in Berlin and Potsdam based on the student's academic
qualifications, personal aptitude, and social needs. In general, all scientific and artistic disciplines
can be funded.

In special cases the scholarship may support a vocational training in Berlin or Potsdam.

One of the most important requirements for the SBW Berlin Scholarship for Refugees is the
scholarship recipients’ intention to continue working on their social non-profit project, which
had been agreed upon in the scholarship contract, for at least 18 months after the completion
of their studies or professional training and to prove its continued existence or further
development to SBW Berlin. Furthermore, SBW Berlin supports all scholarship recipients to realize
their professional goals from the beginning of their scholarship. This is done through networking
with other organizations, through SBW Berlin’s assistance with targeted job searches and
with the preparation of job materials thereafter. In addition, all developed social non-profit projects
should show connections with the scholarship recipients’ home countries, where it is applicable.

Studies or vocational trainings in the applicant’s home country or in another German federal
states cannot be funded.

Further funding after the end of the regular study/professional training period is unattainable.

II. Who can apply?

 Homeless foreigners

 Recognized refugees
 Holders of a residence permit in accordance with §§ 22, 23 para 1 or 2, §§ 23a, 25 para 1
or 2 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) in case of permanent residency in Germany
 Holders of a residence permit in accordance with § 25 para 3, para 4 sentence 2, or para
5 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) in case of permanent residency in Germany

Students and apprentices whose education/training in Germany is already being funded by

another scholarship are not eligible to apply.

An exception to this rule is assistance under the Federal Education Assistance Act (BAFöG). In
this case, the amount of the scholarship is adjusted according to the BAFöG allowance.

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III. Application requirements
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
 between 18 and 30 years old
 applicant’s social commitment (experiences in volunteering/non-profit sector) desireable
 strong intention to continue the social non-profit project for at least 18 months after the 
completion of their studies or professional training
 able to prove a relatively low net income1
 able to prove that they have not stayed in Germany for more than 6 years before the
application

 average grades corresponding to a German grade point average of at least 2.5

 application before the start of their university education or fully enrolled in the first, second
or max. third semester at a state-recognized university (in Germany or abroad) or
application for a master’s degree shortly before or after obtaining a bachelor’s degree
 Note: One or more family members of the scholarship recipient may not be brought to the
SBW Berlin premises for a permanent family reunion after the beginning of the funding period.

Applicants who do not meet all the requirements stated above cannot be considered.

IV. Deadlines and application documents

The application deadlines end on December 31 and June 30 of each year. In case of vocational
training different deadlines may apply.

The final decision whether a scholarship (starting the following semester) will be granted can be
expected at the beginning of February respectively the beginning of August of each year.

Only complete applications can be considered. Applicants must submit at least the following
documents:
 application form (fillable PDF or online form)
 letter of motivation (one or two pages long)2
 current curriculum vitae3
 copy of the last school or university certificate that shows the grade point average and a
grade overview
 copy of the highest academic degree (high school diploma or university certificate) that 
shows the grade point average and a grade overview
 information about the net household income4

If available, copies of the following documents should also be included:

 qualification for university entrance

1 The total household income of the applicants does not exceed the average income which has been officially stated for
their home country. The income of all household members and all sources of income of the family (e.g., from employment,
business activities, property, child benefit or pensions) will be considered.
2 In the letter of motivation, any previous volunteer commitment, future professional goals, and a project idea must be

explained in detail. For more detailed information on the letter please review the application form.
3 The CV is already included in our application form and does not have to be submitted as a separate document.
4 This information is also already included on the application form and does not have to be submitted as a separate

document. Please submit appropriate evidence such as pay slips, pension notices, and/or bank statements.
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 admission to the university in Berlin or Potsdam where you intend to study (or are already
studying)

 internationally recognized language certificate for the language in which your studies will be
taught5
 Contract of professional training, if available
 all previous work, training, apprenticeship and internship certificates and references
 all already obtained university certificates and records of achievements (graded and 
ungraded)
We recommend all applicants to submit the following additional documents, which are not
mandatory:
 one or two letters of recommendation from professors, schoolteachers, employers, etc.
 evidence of the net household income6

The application and all enclosed certificates and supporting documents must be submitted in
German or English. If the original document was issued in another language, we also ask for a
translation into German or English.

Non-certified copies and translations are sufficient for the application.

If the applicant successfully passes the selection process, certified copies of some of those
documents will be required during the verification process.

V. Selection criteria
The following criteria are decisive for the selection of future scholarship recipients:

In need of assistance are all applicants who meet the requirements of § 1 BAföG (German
Federal Education Assistance Act). The individual amount of funding will depend on the personal
circumstances of each applicant.

Applicants whose household income does not exceed the average income officially stated for their
country of origin are also deemed in need of assistance. The income of all household members
and all sources of income of the family will be considered (e.g., wages, income from entrepreneurial
activities, property income, child benefit or pensions).

Eligible are all applicants whose intellectual abilities, as substantiated by the application
documents and during the interview, justify the expectation that the applicant will easily meet the
performance requirements of the funded studies and degree.

Worthy of assistance are all applicants whose personality and social commitment suggest that
they will achieve the goals of this scholarship during and after their studies.

In addition, the applicant’s personal non-profit project will also be evaluated. Our rating will be
based on the following criteria:
 Importance/Relevance of the project for society
 Documentation (structure, completeness, clarity of the project description)
 Feasibility of the agreed goals

5 If an official language certificate is not included in the application documents, the certificate must be submitted by
the verification process latest.
6 If the application only included information on the net household income, proof of evidence must be submitted during

the verification process.

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 Feasibility of the project's time schedule
 Cooperation with regional partner organisation or within the home country 

The rating of the applicant's proposed non-profit project determines the amount of the scholarship
that this candidate will receive.

We will decide individually, if additional financial resources for the implementation of a proposed
non-profit project will be granted.

VI. Selection process

During the first phase of the selection process, the curriculum vitae, the letter of motivation and the
grades of the applicants will be considered.

During the second phase of the selection process, a personal interview or video conference will be
conducted with each candidate who has been deemed suitable after all documents have been
carefully reviewed. The proposed social non-profit project might also be discussed during the
interview or video conference.

Applicants also need to submit a project description that provides a detailed overview of the
proposed project’s social significance, individual work steps, estimates on any costs and
expenditure of time, ideas on financing the project and a detailed time schedule.

Only after reviewing these project descriptions, the final selection will be made.

VII. Verification Process

If they have not already been submitted, the following documents will be required after the
selection in the so-called verification process:
 copy of your passport with a current passport photograph
 evidence of the net household income
 copy of your latest school or university certificate with a grade overview, if another certificate has
been issued since the application, if applicable
 certified copies of your study-specific work, training, and internship certificates, if applicable
 legalization of your highest academic qualification (university-entrance diploma from school or
university diploma like the Bachelor certificate), if this certificate is from a foreign institution, if
applicable
 copy of an internationally recognized language certificate for the language in which your studies will
be taught, if applicable

If applicants intend to study at a university, they also need to submit the following documents:
 evaluation report from uni-assist or other evidence of the grade conversion into the German 
grading system
 copy of your university entrance qualification
 admission to a university in Berlin or Potsdam where you intend to study (or are already studying)
or confirmation of enrollment, if already issued 
 certified copies of all university certificates and performance records that you have obtained
so far (graded and ungraded)7
7Candidates who apply for a scholarship to pursue a master's degree must also provide certified copies of all university
certificates and performance records from their bachelor's program.
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SBW Berlin may cover the costs for the required certification and legalization of the documents
in special cases.

During the verification process, SBW Berlin and the candidate agree upon the final details of how
to conduct and oversee the non-profit project which becomes binding. The project description then
becomes part of the scholarship contract.

VIII. Scholarship benefits

For the duration of the scholarship, SBW Berlin covers the necessary living expenses of the
scholarship recipients. A full scholarship includes:

 a room in our shared student flats in Berlin

 cost-of-living allowance
 tuition fees or vocational training fees8
First payments can only be made after the scholarship recipient moved into the student flat.

IX. Amount of the assistance

In the first semester, the scholarship recipients receive a living allowance of 450 Euro.

In case the scholarship covers a vocational training the exact amount of the granted living
allowance depends on how high the compensation of the vocational training is. SBW Berlin
provides a room in our shared student flats and may provide a living allowance if the compensation
of the vocational training cannot cover costs of living.

Applicants who receive benefits in accordance with the Federal Education Assistance Act (BAFöG)
will only receive allowances that do not count as income under the terms of § 21 para 3 Nr. 2 of
BAFöG. These applicants usually only receive a flat rate (book allowance) of 100 Euro maximum
a month because the cash value of the accommodation that SBW Berlin provides must be
considered.

X. Duration of our assistance

Our assistance will be provided for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 48 months,
depending on the standard duration of studies in the discipline or the vocational training applicants
have chosen. We grant assistance for specific periods of time, usually for the following
semester/half a year. Further funding after the regular study period or vocational training period
has ended is unattainable.

We have a total of 20 scholarships available. Each semester, we can award as many scholarships
as there are vacancies.

SBW Berlin can terminate its assistance if a scholarship recipient fails one exam or postpones
two exams. The failure to meet the target agreements set for the scholarship recipient’s
non-profit project agreed upon in the scholarship contract is another reason for the termination of
the scholarship.

8 If the tuition fees exceed the national average, a deductible can be expected.
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XI. Repayment obligation
SBW Berlin grants this scholarship in the form of a loan, which is repayable after the end
of the funding period. There is no obligation to repay the loan if the scholarship recipients
continue working on the social non-profit project which has been agreed upon in the
scholarship contract and proof is presented to SBW Berlin that part of the project continues
for at least another 18 months after the scholarship contract ended. SBW Berlin is entitled
to check upon the existence and development of the projects before, during, and after the
funding period.

XII. Final provisions

Scholarship recipients must inform SBW Berlin immediately if their circumstances change, that
were relevant for the funding decision.

They are also obliged to inform SBW Berlin immediately about their graduation from university or
vocational training and submit a copy of their diploma.

In addition, they must submit copies of all the university certificates and performance records
(graded and ungraded) which they obtain during their studies after each semester or after 6
months while they receive the SBW Berlin scholarship for refugees.

Further rights and obligations of the scholarship holders are listed in the scholarship contracts
and may differ slightly from one another.

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